chorismic

Chorismic is an adjective relating to chorismate or chorismate-derived compounds. In biochemistry, chorismate is a central intermediate in the shikimate pathway that operates in plants, bacteria, and fungi. It is formed from phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose-4-phosphate and serves as a branching point for the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, including the essential amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, as well as other metabolites such as p-aminobenzoate and certain folates.

Chorismic acid is the protonated form sometimes used in older literature, while chorismate typically refers to its ionized state under physiological conditions. The term chorismic appears in the names of enzymes and processes that involve chorismate, such as chorismate mutase, which converts chorismate to prephenate in the route to phenylalanine and tyrosine, and chorismate synthase, which helps regulate the pool of chorismate available for downstream pathways. Anthranilate synthase, another chorismate-utilizing enzyme, initiates tryptophan biosynthesis from chorismate.

In biology and biotechnology, the chorismic node is a key control point for the production of aromatic compounds. Researchers study flux through this node to understand natural metabolism and to engineer microbes or plants for increased production of aromatic amino acids, antibiotics, plant polyphenols, and other value-added metabolites.

See also: shikimate pathway, chorismate, chorismate mutase, chorismate synthase, aromatic amino acids.